Billy Joel and Elton John Together Again

Elton John and Billy Joel will once again go on tour together beginning March 2nd, 2009 in Jacksonville, Florida. You'll be able to see the Rocket Man and the Piano Man performing live in venues across America.

Despite the down economy, promoters say sales for this upcoming concert tour are going well. And you have to ask yourself, "How could anything, including a bad economy, affect these two icons' tickets sales?" This tour ought to be very special and fans can expect to hear classic tune after classic tune performed by both artists.

However, touring together isn't all these two legends have in mind.

"We're thinking about recording three songs together," said John in a recent interview. "Definitely not our own songs, or oldies, but we're interested in getting some people to write new songs for us. I've got Raphael Saadiq and Nile Rodgers working on something, so we're booking some time to go into the studio and record."

Why Joel and John need songwriters is a complete and utter mystery. Still, the prospect of them recording together is very enticing.

Joel and John first toured together in 1994. The "Face 2 Face Tour" was so successful they returned to the road in 1995, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

In 1998, the "Face 2 Face Tour" visited Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

Billy Joel and Elton John have quite a bit in common so joining forces made a lot of sense, both financially and artistically. The duo also has enough differences to remain interesting, as their strengths and weaknesses complement one another.

To begin the comparison, Joel and John are both skilled piano players and marginally good singers. They are both masterful songwriters (although John doesn't write his own lyrics). And they are both hugely successful recording artists creating hits that have spanned decades.

According to the Record Industry Association of America, Joel is the sixth best-selling recording artist in the United States and John is 10th—although John has sold more records worldwide.

Joel and John both flourished in the 1970's (Elton in first half and Billy in the second), lost their identities in the 1980's and accepted their fates as "has-beens" in the 1990's.

At one time or another, Billy and Elton suffered from drug and alcohol dependency and they've both battled depression.

Moving on to what makes them different, the Rocket Man is British, flamboyant, and embraces the celebrity lifestyle. From being godfather to many British children of famous parents to attending celebrity parties, galas and awards shows, Elton John relishes the lime light.

John has struggled with his sexuality. In a 1976 Rolling Stone interview, John announced he was bisexual. Then John married and divorced Renate Blauel, a sound engineer, in the mid-1980's.

Eventually John denounced his bisexuality and embraced his homosexuality. In 2004, he entered into a civil partnership with Canadian-born filmmaker David Furnish.

Musically, John is quite a bit more theatrical ("Bennie and the Jets" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road").

Despite John's numerous hits, he also had a few clunkers: "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" and "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues," just to name a few.

Meanwhile, the Piano Man is a true New Yorker. He's simple, confident, and a hero to the common man—except when it comes to women.

Joel has dated super model Elle Macpherson and married super model Christie Brinkley (they divorced in 1994). In 2004, Joel married Katie Lee, a woman 32 years his younger. Not exactly the love life of your average Joe.

Musically Joel is more soulful (the entire An Innocent Man album) and more romantic ("Just the Way You Are" and "She's Always a Woman").

Joel wasn't afraid to tackle politics as is evident in the poignant "Allentown" and the somber "Goodnight Saigon." And Billy's lyrics are often catchy, memorable and poignant.

Like John, Joel can be cheesy too. For examples, listen to the ridiculous "We Didn't Start the Fire" and the sappy "The River of Dreams."

Suffice to say, their careers crossed paths and their careers diverged. They shared similar demons but had different loves. At times they sounded the same and at times they sounded completely different.

They seem to be a match made in music heaven. One can see how the two of them together collaborating musically makes a lot of sense, and at the same time one can also wonder why these two mesh so well.

You can say Billy Joel is the American Elton John and you can say Elton John is the British Billy Joel. However, they are both originals and they both transcend the cultural and political divide.

Yet through all their trials and tribulations, fans still continue to relate to their music and fans still enjoy watching them perform. And even though seeing Billy Joel and Elton John in concert is almost too much of a good thing, it's well worth the price of the admission.

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Distributed: 2009-12-30 |
Word Count: 837 |
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